Today's trusted networks are considered to be operating in a trusted mode when all of the network nodes are accounted for and an assessment of their configuration has been made. In some cases, this requires strict control over what devices may connect and when. However, such strict controls have proven to be impractical due to user mobility, device mobility, and the size and complexity of the network. Firewalls and gateway devices are hardened so as to prevent possible attack from the untrusted devices in the network.
Current solutions to provide services across a network are directed to using a centralized approach. Services may be hosted on a central server or a web gateway. However, this approach results in scalability issues as the size of the network expands and contracts.